Serenity's Light
by Nikelodean
Summary: Sequel to THE EYES CAN MISLEAD.  Has Chase finally found real love only to lose it again?
1. PROLOGUE

Well, here is the sequel to _The Eyes Can Mislead_. If this is your first time checking out one of my fics, I would _highly _recommend that you read the first story in this series. Or else you are gonna be pretty danged confused.

**PROLOGUE: CONVERSATIONS**

I guess we all underestimated what that asshole could do, didn't we? He won't be able to bother you any more. You can finally go back to being Serenity. I've come to love Sera a great deal, and I'm positive I'll love Serenity, too… You are, without a doubt, the strongest, bravest, most intelligent and beautiful woman I have ever known…I don't…I don't know what I'll do if I lose you. My…life….it was empty…before I met you, I wasn't whole. You…you have become my everything and I can't…can't…

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I love you very much, sweetie. You were like a daughter to me and I wish so much that I could undo everything. Please forgive me.

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Hey, Peace. I want you to know that I have my best doctors working on your case. And you know House is like a dog with a big, juicy bone…he won't give up until he finds some way to snap you out of this. I miss you. I had just gotten used to having you around again and now… You have to hurry up and wake up. I decided to try for a baby again and I need some advice. Actually, I have an idea about a donor, but I don't know how good an idea it is. In fact, I'm pretty sure it's a terrible idea, but… Dammit, Peace! Open your eyes. I need you to be okay…

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Hello, luv. I finally got them to agree to move a bed in here. That chair is not nearly as comfortable as it looks. I'll be staying with you every night, unless Lisa takes a turn. She told me I might as well call her Lisa since we've been spending so much time in here talking, mostly about you. She'll probably kick my arse, though, if I slip and call her that in front of other employees. Oh, and she told me about your little "escapade" at the Delt Sig frat house in her last year. I can't believe you did that! And what were you, 16? 17? Naughty girl! But then, I already knew that, didn't I?

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Hey, kiddo. How are you doing? I guess that's a dumb question, isn't it? I just want you to know, we have some leads on Carmela's location. I wish I had gone against the director's orders and posted someone at your door. He ordered us to pull all of our manpower to New York, where she had been spotted at La Guardia. He sent me to lead the team. I didn't feel comfortable leaving when you were so…fragile, but I knew that you would want me to go catch Carmela. I don't know how she doubled back. She's wily, I'll give her that. God…when I think about what could have happened…she could have hurt you when she came in here! She left a note, but I think I'll let you read it when you wake up. She also left an album of photos. It's more of a scrapbook, really. There are lots of pictures of you, Jamal, David, Carmela…she even managed to sneak in a few of me…and you know how much I hate pictures. I hate what she did and the damage it did to you. I honestly don't know how I'll react when I see her again…But enough about her. I...uh…well, I was thinking about inviting Dr. Andrews out to dinner. I'm still not sure, though. Normally, you'd be telling me what to do about now in that bossy way of yours…I really miss ya, kid. I have to leave soon to go back to D.C., but I'll be back soon. I don't know if this is good news or not, since you two fight like cats and dogs, but Dave is going to be here leading the search for Carmela until I return. We have reason to believe she may still be in the area, so we're using Princeton as a base of operations. By the way, David seems to have developed an interest in Dr. Cameron. Something else for you to tease him about, huh?

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So, Wilson and I were thinking we should switch our baseball watching locale to your room instead of Coma Guy's room. We like you better, and your TV is bigger. How did you swing that, by the way? Oh, right…you're loaded. Getting Cuddy to drop some bucks on a nice TV is easy if she knows she can bill it to you and you can actually pay it. I think I'll watch General Hospital in here, too. You said that watching that stuff would cause an instant drop in your I.Q., but judging by your EEG, you're already there. Kidding…just kidding. On the off chance you remember this conversation, I don't want you to kick my butt when you wake up. Oh, do you want to hear something funny? Mr. I've-Got-A-Stick-Up-My-Butt, Live-By-The-Rulebook was caught in a supply closet with that Nurse Donna. I will NEVER let Foreman live this one down. You know who caught them? Wilson. The whole hospital knew about it in roughly 6 minutes. He's such a gossip….You really do need to hurry up and come back. Cameron is back to making the coffee, and although it's good, it's not the same as yours. By the way, which of your personalities are you going to come back as? Are you going to be Dr. Serenity, über doctor extraordinaire, or are you going to be meek and mild-mannered Nurse Sera? Not that you were ever meek or mild-mannered, but the metaphor doesn't work otherwise. Well, I gotta go. It's lunchtime and Wilson has to buy me lunch. Maybe we'll come up here tomorrow. You've been such stimulating company and all…

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Um…hi, Sera. Oops, I mean Serenity. It's going to be weird calling you that from now on. I…uh…well, I just need to apologize. When you joined our team, I treated you like…well, to be blunt, I treated you like crap. There was no reason for it, other than jealousy. You seemed so confident and smart and pretty….you pretty much had House's number, that's for sure. And he seemed to respect you. I hated you for that! I'd been trying to gain his respect and friendship for two years and you just swoop in and suddenly you're eating with him and Wilson and going to monster truck rallies. So I acted like a jerk. There's no excuse for it, but…well, everyone told me how you were willing to risk your life and exchange yourself for me. If I had made some gesture like that, House would have called me an idiot. But you…you're treated like a hero. Wow…I'm really mucking up the apology, here. Sorry. I don't hate you and I do wish we could be friends, but I kinda wish you weren't so…so _perfect_! Great…now I sound like a total bitch, saying these things to someone in a coma. Sorry, Sera…Serenity. I have to go. Maybe I'll come back later.

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Hey, squirt. Wow…this is weird. Usually you call me some name back. I can't get used to you lying there so quietly…not being a smartss to me, then running off to snitch to Mitchell. You were such a brat, you know that. You acted exactly the way I always imagined a little sister would act. Got on my nerves, was a tattletale, teased me about my girlfriends, made fun of the way I dressed, always got me in trouble when you were the one who did it…huh….I'm kinda getting irritated with you just thinking about it! But you know what you would always do? Just when I was about to snap and throw you over my knee or something, you would give me that grin and wink that always made me smile. Or you would bring me some brownies. You'd even put nuts in them although you hate nuts. You would laugh at me one minute over the woman I was dating, give me hell if I mistreated her in some imagined way, then turn around and hug me and comfort me when the relationship ended. Dammit…what a mess…where's the tissue…oh, there it is…now I'm really mad at you for making me do this. I'm glad you can't tell anyone I was crying. Ah, crap…I didn't mean that. I would gladly take the humiliation of having everyone in the bureau and all of these new friends of yours laughing at me if it meant I could hear you laughing at me, too. Come back to us, Serenity. I…I kinda have someone special and I need your advice. Just come back, 'kay?

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Good afternoon, Serenity. You know, I actually like calling you Serenity instead of Sera. It's sexy, and it fits you perfectly. Um…speaking of sexy, I made a CD that I think you'll like. While I was putting it together, I was thinking of you and the amazing experience we had in the back room downstairs. And in the shower. I was going for the trifecta and planned on seducing you in the kitchen, but that bastard ruined my plans. Ah, well. That gives us something to look forward to, eh? Look, Lisa wanted to spend the night in here. Actually, I think Cameron is coming too, and maybe Donna. They said something about a girl's night and might have mentioned doing hair and nails and such. Lisa said that a coma is no excuse for your nails to look, and I quote, "that raggedy". You don't seem to be into all that girly stuff, but I do see you wearing makeup and your nails always look neat and polished. I guess you keep it low key? Whatever…I will definitely be making myself scarce tonight. Lisa threatened to braid my hair and put ribbons in it if I showed up. She's kinda scary when she wants to be, so I'd better listen. Eric and Dave are dragging me out somewhere. They won't tell me where, but they promised it wasn't anywhere that would get me in trouble with you, so I guess it'll be okay. If not, I'll just tell Donna and Allison on both of them. Hey, do you think we should invite House? He's been…different lately. Not nice or anything, but not such a complete bstard either. He's actually called me Robert a few times. And I think I heard him use "Eric", too. I think watching Dumas die was harder on him than he's letting on. I think he blames himself, even though he had nothing at all to do with what that creep did. I gotta tell you, though. I know I should probably hate Dumas. I hate what he's done to you, and what he did to all of those other people. But if it wasn't for him, I would never have met you. Weird, huh? I owe all of my joy and happiness to a psychopathic killer. Oh, look at the time! I have to get to clinic. I'll come back and see you before all of the other "girls" show up. Oh, and I'm going to put the CD on, okay? I love you, sweetheart.

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Hey, Serenity. Sorry it's taken me so long to talk to you. I've visited a few times, but I never seem to know what to say. I stopped by a bit earlier and heard Robert talking to you. It sounded like a normal conversation, so I figured I'd give it a shot. You'd think a neurologist wouldn't feel weird talking to a coma patient, but it's totally different when it's someone you're close to. Rob is down in clinic now, so I figured I'd pop in…what the hell is that? Do I even _want _to know why a Prince CD is playing? Although I do like this song. What is it…? Oh, right… "The Beautiful Ones". Very sexy song….ew…I think I just figured out why it's playing. Bad mental image! I remember I was about 11 or 12 when _Purple Rain _came out. My mother wouldn't let me go see it, so my friends and I snuck in. It was the best thing I'd ever seen. Of course, I was stupid enough to walk into the house singing "Let's Go Crazy" at the top of my lungs. My mom is pretty quick and she figured out what I'd done. Man, I couldn't sit down for about a week… You know…Robert is pretty miserable without you. We all are, but it's especially hard for him. I honestly don't know how he'd handle it if you didn't wake up. He loves you…so much. He's here every night with you. He hasn't spent but 2 nights at his place. I've seen him in here, crying, praying, begging…he isn't giving up. He hasn't lost hope that you'll come back to him. So you can't give up…you can't stop hoping. If he loses you this way…he may lose faith. And that faith is the only thing keeping him going these past two months. Don't let it all be for nothing! You are nothing if not a fighter. So fight, dammit!!

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Hi, Serenity. I'm back. I can't stay long this time either. We have another lead on Carmela, so I'm going to follow up on that. But I just needed to stop by and see you again before I fly out. Everyone at the Bureau is pulling for you, kiddo. But you have to battle this out yourself, too. You gotta fight, Serenity. You are as stubborn as a mule…don't let this beat you!

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Dammit, Serenity, enough is enough. Cameron has completely forgotten how to make the coffee. Cuddy is crankier than usual. The boys are acting like they don't have a brain between them, and Cameron has this guilty look on her face all of the time. I can't take this anymore. You have go to beat this thing. I thought you told me once that nothing was tougher than you. Were you just full of crap? Or did you mean it? Well, then prove it! Fight this!! Or let go!! Do one or the other, but this limbo crap has got to stop!!

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Peace, I know you better than anyone else here. I've never known you to give up…not ever. And this would be a really lousy time to start. So come on back to us, sweetie. Or next girl's night, I _will _let Cameron dye your hair like she wanted to.

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Hey, Sera. I sure wish you'd hurry up and get up already. Lunchtime just isn't the same without you. Although my wallet is happy, since you used to mooch off of me nearly as much as House does. He misses you, you know. He said, and I'm not lying, that the team feels incomplete without you. You've made House wax sentimental. I didn't think it could be done. Look, I deal all the time with hopeless cases, and I know one when I see one. And you…you are NOT a hopeless case. But you have to believe it. You have to struggle and claw your way out of that abyss I know you're floating in. I believe in you. You can do it. Come on home, Sera.

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Fight this thing, Serenity!!

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You can beat this, brat. You are so doggone pig-headed about everything else. Don't give up!!

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You can do it Serenity! We need you back. Really. Because if House complains about my coffee one more time…..well, no need to go into that. Just come on back to us!! We miss you.

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I love you, my angel. I need you here with me. Please….God please….please….


	2. Chapter 1  THE ABYSS

Author's note: Hi, friends! I really do hope you enjoy this. Just so you know, the italicized words are Serenity's thoughts while she's in her coma. I've based this, and future chapters on the premise that coma patients can hear and often remember what goes on around them during their coma. It may not be completely medically accurate, but you can consider it artistic license.

**CHAPTER 1: THE ABYSS**

_Floating….listening…I love to hear Robert's voice. It's so soothing, so relaxing…. He is definitely a sexy, sexy man. Ouch…I hate range of motion exercises. My body feels so creaky. I wonder if he's going to give me a bath when he's done? Baths are nice. He always uses water that's nice and hot…and scented. He's so gentle with me…so loving. It's almost like when he and I…no, don't think about that. Those days are over._

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_Oh, no. Allison again. She always apologizes to me, then says something that makes me want to pop her one, then apologizes again. Why is she having so much trouble with the stupid coffee? You measure it, pour the water, push the button. How hard is that? Well, I guess I'm glad she's okay, even though she irks the crap out of me. No one deserves to go through what Faith and all those other women went through. _

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_Lisa, for crying out loud, _please_ stop crying every time you visit me. You're either crying or yelling. Both are annoying, if you want to know the truth. Why do people keep telling me to fight this? Why would I? It's peaceful here. No one is following you, stabbing you, killing your loved ones… it's all floaty and nice. Fight? No thanks! I've been fighting all of my life and I'm done._

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_House, if you don't get your feet off of my bed and turn the stupid soap opera off, I swear I will kick your bad leg…if I decide to wake up, that is. Where the heck is Wilson? He can at least stop this idiot from getting food on the covers. Last thing I want to smell all day is sauerkraut. _

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_Wish I could have been there when Robert reamed out House for spilling soda all over me. Eric told me it was fabulous…at least, I think that's what he said. He wouldn't stop laughing long enough to speak clearly. If I were a betting woman, I would bet that Lisa ripped him a new one, too. I love my friends._

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_STOP TALKING!! STOP IT!!!! AUGHHHHHHHHHHH!!! I do NOT need to hear about what you and Allison did last night!!! OH, MY GOSH…….DAVID!!! STOP IT!!! La,la,la,la,la,la,la,la,la,la,la…_

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_Ooooh, Robby…you definitely have magic hands! Evening massages are my favorite…aurgh! Don't mess it up by begging me to wake up! This is my life now. Peacefulness…quietude…tranquility….serenity….Serenity….Serenity_

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"Serenity, come on, love. Open your eyes. I have some Scharffen-Berger chocolate…I know it's your favorite. And it's almost time for your bath, sweetheart." Robert looked at Serenity, not really expecting a response. After 3 months of hoping, praying, and literally begging, he found he had little optimism left. He looked up as House, Eric, and Lisa walked in the room.

Lisa frowned slightly as she looked at Serenity. House was right. She looked peaceful and worry-free. When she first slipped into the coma, she had a few spasms and a couple of spikes on the EEG. After about a week, her EEG was reading delta waves instead of triphasic waves, which was an improvement. She even opened those startling grey eyes of hers once. But for nearly a month, there had been nothing. No movement whatsoever, nothing on the EEG. Zip. Nada. It was as if Serenity was resigned to her fate. And for once, Lisa was in perfect accord with House. There was no way they were going to let Serenity just continue like this. The only problem was to convince Robert to go along with the idea.

They had brought Eric along, hoping that the weight of a neurologist's, and a friend's, opinion would help sway Robert. Lisa didn't actually need Robert's permission. For some insane reason, Serenity had designated House as her medical proxy about three weeks before the Dumas episode. She had told Lisa she needed to add her updated advanced directives to her file, and given them to Lisa in a sealed envelope. Lisa didn't know House was her proxy until Serenity got out of surgery and was moved to the ICU. Dr. Hopkins had asked if she had a DNR or anything else they should know about. That's when Lisa discovered Serenity's little surprise. Shockingly, House took the whole thing in stride. When she told him, he merely nodded and limped off. Apparently, he was taking this, if nothing else, seriously.

Lisa wanted Robert's approval of the idea House had approached her with. She knew that Serenity would want him involved in the decision making process. Besides, his cooperation could make or break their little experiment.

Lisa shook herself out of her brief reverie and turned to the intensivist. "Rob, House and I are worried about Serenity." Robert glanced at her incredulously, his look clearly saying, "She's in a coma…DUH!" Lisa blushed as House shook his head and pushed her aside so he was standing by the bed next to Robert.

House leaned over Serenity and tugged at her pillow. "What is this?" Robert frowned at him and smoothed the pillow back. "It's a memory foam pillow." "With satin sheets?" House smirked. Robert's frown deepened. "Yeah, so…her sheets are satin. It's a smoother surface…decreases the likelihood of bedsores."

House leaned over and lifted the satin fitted sheet over Robert's protests. "And is this one of those fancy, schmancy air mattresses with the memory foam topper?" Robert folded his arms and gritted out, "What's your point, House?" House ignored him and went over to the nightstand. He picked up the massage oil and raised an eyebrow at Robert, who stepped over and snatched it from House's hand. "WHAT are you DOING, House?" Robert was quickly losing patience. He didn't understand why Lisa wasn't reining him in like she usually did. She did come over and put her hand gently on his arm. "Robert, just hear him out." She turned to House and snapped, "Get on with it, House."

House straightened up from where he had been fiddling with the CD player. "I thought you wanted your girlfriend to get better?" House's blue eyes were piercing as they bored through Robert. He resisted the urge to squirm. "I do. But I want her to be comfortable while she's recovering."

House snorted. "Recovering? Chase, she's recovered. Her injury has healed. She managed to avoid infection. Everything is functioning well. Just about everyone who visits her does some kind of exercises with her, so her muscles haven't atrophied. Between your pampering and the Ya-Ya sisterhood over there", he gestured towards Cuddy, "Serenity is as comfortable as a person in a coma can be. She's got a cool bed, nice music, satin sheets, and an attentive boyfriend who gives her regular massages and goodness knows what else…" Chase interrupted him. "I'm not doing anything else besides the massages." House gave him a dubious look. "Okay, if you say so, but just so you know, that's only one small step from necrophilia."

Lisa and Eric had to grab Robert's arm to stop him from lunging. They pulled him over towards the door with House following behind with a smirk on his face. He still got a kick out of riling up his employees. Once they got into the hallway, Robert shook his captors off and growled, "What is this all about, House?"

House looked pointedly at him, all seriousness now. "She doesn't want to wake up." Robert stopped glaring and looked at him quizzically. "What do you mean, she doesn't want to wake up? Of course she wants to wake up!" House shrugged. "Why would she? You're giving her all of the comforts of home without all of the accompanying worries. She doesn't have to stress about serial killers, betrayal, murder, crazy professors on the loose. She's been in a state of constant stress ever since she was outted as a genius. Hell, I'll bet this is the closest thing she's had to a vacation in years. Until she has some motivation to wake up, she won't. She'll slide deeper and deeper into the coma and never wake up."

Robert glanced at Eric and Lisa after that bleak pronouncement. Eric looked grimly at Robert and nodded his confirmation. "Physically, she's in good health, except neurologically. She's showing signs of decreased cognitive functioning…she's slipping away, Rob. We have to try something new. We have to make some changes. And we need your cooperation."

Robert looked through the glass door at Serenity. She looked like she was having a pleasant dream. He thought about the possibility of never seeing her smile at him again or never feeling her arms wrap around him or never kissing her lips and have her kiss him back. He looked at Eric, House, and Lisa with determination in his eyes. "I'll do whatever needs to be done to bring her back."

House looked at him for a long moment. He knew how difficult it was for Robert to watch the woman he loved slowly fade away. He clapped the younger man on the shoulder and said, almost companionably, "Come on. Let's go to lunch and we'll tell you what we had planned. Foreman is buying." Eric rolled his eyes, but smiled slightly and put a hand on Robert's shoulder as they walked down the hall. He was glad Robert was going to work with them, but he wasn't looking forward to telling him exactly what they were going to do to Serenity. Not at all.


	3. Chapter 2 LIKE FATHER FIGURE, LIKE SON

This one is kinda short, but that's okay! It's setting things up for Chapter 3, which is longer. Thanks to everyone for the lovely reviews!

**CHAPTER 2 – LIKE FATHER-FIGURE, LIKE SON**

Robert let out a small sigh as he lifted Serenity's leg up and back. He noticed her muscles weren't nearly as toned as they used to be. It was to be expected, but he still felt a twinge of regret as his mind's eye pictured Serenity in that catsuit. His thoughts were interrupted by the appearance of House. He gestured for Robert to come outside in the hall.

After Robert closed the door, he turned to House. "We've been torturing her for nearly a month, now. We get a few blips on the EEG every now and then, but that's it. This isn't working!" "Of course it's working, roo-boy. She reacts consistently to the music I've been playing. She hates hard rock, metal, and country. Of course, she told me country depresses her, so I haven't been playing that, but I've been feeding her a constant diet of Led Zeppelin, Metallica, Iron Maiden, Whitesnake, Rush, Def Lep…"

"I don't care what you've been playing for her!! She has some reddened areas on her shoulder and coccyx. She needs the memory foam…"

"NO! She can have the air mattress. We've done the same for other patients, although theirs aren't the top of the line like Sera's…"

"Serenity's", interrupted Robert.

"Whatever. She'll probably answer to both. My point is, we're getting responses. Now we have to bump it up a bit."

Robert raised his eyebrows. "Bump it up? How? You limit my visits and won't let me stay with her every night. You've forbidden massages. You bombard her with your godawful music. You won't let the girls do anything with her hair or nails. What are you going to do, apply hot pokers to her feet three times a day?"

House snapped his fingers. "Say, that's an idea. Although three times might be a bit much, but twice ought to do the job." At Robert's frown, House smiled slightly. "Calm down, son. Look, we compared the EEG record with the visitor times. I noticed that, in addition to hating my music, she also responds to Cameron and David. I asked them what they talked about. Cameron has been talking mostly about her youth, the things she did growing up, the boy she dated in college…silly things that Sera has no interest in. I think Cameron is irritating her. David, on the other hand, has been talking about Cameron. How much he likes spending time with her, how he thinks he's falling for her. He told me that on a couple of occasions, he discussed intimate things that he and Cameron did. One of those occasions was earlier today, so I just checked, and her EEG showed a K-complex waveform. Before that, there were also a couple of sleep spindles that coincided with Cameron's visit. That isn't supposed to happen in a coma patient. You only see those waveforms in stage 2 sleep."

Robert's eyes widened. "What? Why wasn't I told? This means she's waking up!" House shrugged. "Or trying to keep from waking up. Either way, she slipped back into delta waves quickly after those occurrences. I think we need to poke the grizzly a bit more. She apparently doesn't like hearing about Cameron and the G-man getting it on, so I think we ought to put on some Marvin Gaye and let the two lovebirds go at it in your old bed right next to her."

Robert's mouth dropped into an "O" as he stared at House. House managed to hold onto his mirth for all of five seconds before bursting into brief laughter. He stopped quickly when he noticed the younger man staring at him in disapproval. House shook his head and sighed. Chase used to be the only one sometimes who would laugh at his jokes. Somewhere around the third week of the coma, though, the intensivist's sense of humor had fled.

"Look, Chase – we need to increase the time David and Cameron spend with Serenity since they cause the biggest reaction. They should be as lovey dovey as possible. I know it would nauseate me, so I can imagine how Serenity will feel, considering how she feels about David."

Robert frowned slightly and repeated softly, "How she feels about David…" House rolled his eyes and huffed irritably. "I don't mean it that way. She treats Dave like a brother." It was Robert's turn to roll his eyes. "I knew what you meant…but…I don't know. Grossing her out isn't going to make her wake up. It might make her retreat further to get away from them. You said Allison seems to irritate her? How can you tell?"

House shrugged again. "You know that serene, peaceful look Sera used to have? Well, even though I don't actually see her change expression, it looks different when Cameron is around. She looks…aggrieved or something. I can't really explain it. It's just a feeling." Robert nodded. He trusted House's "feelings" a lot more than he trusted most people's well-thought out rationales. He hesitated a moment, not wanting to tell House his idea. He didn't want to screw with Serenity's head like this, but he didn't see where he had any choice anymore. House, fed up with his hesitance, whacked him in the shin with his cane. "Out with it, Chase!"

Robert told House his idea. House slowly began to smile. He felt his heart swell with pride. He didn't know the wombat had it in him.


	4. Chapter 3   DON'T GO BREAKING MY HEART

AN – Just a reminder – the italicized words are Serenity's thoughts.

**CHAPTER 3 – DON'T GO BREAKING MY HEART**

_What's going on here? Why hasn't Robert come to see me? He used to see me every day. Now he barely comes. Has he stopped loving me? That stupid Cameron comes to visit me all the time. David comes a lot, too. Listening to him is heartbreaking. He loves her…really loves her. He thinks that she's "the one"._ _I don't think she feels the same way. I think she's playing games with him. If she hurts him…well, all I can say is that she'd better watch out! I really wish I knew where Robert is! I don't think he's been here today. It's hard to tell… my days are all confused.._

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_Why is House playing that music again? He knows I hate heavy metal! I think he's trying to drive me insane! Oh my gosh! Is that Baba O'Reilly? I hate that song! He's definitely trying to drive me crazy! If he plays Stairway to Heaven, I may have to jump out of this bed and hurt him!_

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_David, sweetie, why are you doing this? She obviously doesn't love you! You're talking marriage and she's not talking about you at all! Isn't there something wrong with that picture? You had your whole life ahead of you! Don't waste it on her! Find someone who appreciates you…the way I never did. Someone who loves you the way you deserve to be loved…_

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_Why do you insist on coming to see me every single day? Irritating woman! Go away, leave me alone! Oh, great…now this...the crying starts. What are you blubbering about?... What do you mean you're in love with someone else? What about David? He loves you and you're still hung up on House? How could you do that to him, you $#&!!_

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_Robert, why aren't you talking to me anymore? You just come in and exercise my legs, but never talk to me anymore. Are you tired of taking care of me? I don't want to be a burden on you…but that's not the problem, is it? I don't know…I feel like there's something going on…I don't know what, though. I wish things could go back to the way they were…when you loved me._

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David knocked on the door and went in the room. He had absolutely no idea why he always knocked. He thought that, perhaps, in the back of his mind, he hoped that one day Serenity would actually answer. He smirked. She'd probably have some smart-alecky comment, but at least she'd be answering.

He sighed. He was not looking forward to what he was about to do, although if it worked, he would be ecstatic. If it didn't work, however, they might actually lose Serenity for good. He took a deep breath before walking over to the bed. "_Remember the high school plays, the drama club in college, the acting classes…you can do it. Pretend that it's real_…" David gave himself a mental pep talk as he sat down and took Serenity's hand, as was his habit.

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House walked over to the nurse's station where the EEG monitors were located. Robert was sitting at one, leaned back, watching one of the screens. "Is the show about to start?", House asked, pulling over a chair and plopping down. Robert glanced at him. "What…no popcorn?" House smiled and pulled out a pack of Twizzlers. Robert rolled his eyes and muttered, "You're hopeless." The intensivist paused for a second, then held out his hand. House placed two Twizzlers in his outstretched hand, but refrained from commenting.

"David just went in there. He's about to tell her. Look, House, if….if this works, I think you need to be the one to tell her the truth. Either you or David. She won't believe me. In fact, I don't think she needs to see me until she does know the truth."

House grinned. "What…are you scared she's going to beat the crap out of you?" Robert smiled slightly. "Well, I'm fairly certain I could handle a woman fresh out of a 4-month coma, even that particular woman." Robert ignored House's dubious look and continued. "But she might not realize how weak she is and she might hurt herself trying to get to me." House opened his mouth to speak, but Robert shushed him by pointing to the screen. "Something's happening."

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_David, what's wrong? Why are you upset? I can hear it in your voice. What did Twiggy do now? Man, I can't believe you're dating her! I certainly hope she put you out of your misery and dumped you. I know it'll hurt now, but you're definitely better off in the long run. She doesn't really love you and…what was that? What did you just say? _

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"Serenity, this has been the day from hell. I shouldn't even be here. Mitch told me to stay away from here…Robert told me not to tell you, too, although I don't know where he gets off telling me anything where you're concerned. Man, did he have me fooled! He seemed like such a great guy….I thought you had found your perfect match. Mitch thought so, too. But he's not good enough for you, little sis. I found out something today…it was devastating. Robert said that I shouldn't tell you, because it might make things worse. But Serenity, I couldn't stand by and let him feed you lies and false hopes while you lie there helpless…Dammit, I'm not doing this well at all." David got up for a minute to pace around. "Maybe Mitch was right. Maybe I should leave."

------

_WTF? Why is he calling me "little sis"? Last time he did that was at Jamal's funeral. What the hell is going on? What is he so upset about? David, you'd better spill right now!! Leave? If you leave, so help me…_

-----

"Look at that! She's spiking all over the place!" In his excitement, Robert utterly forgot the name of the waveform that was currently being displayed. House snorted and replied, "Um, those would be sleep spindles, moron." "Whatever, House, look at that! They are coming more frequently! This is great…we've never seen them like this before!" House stood up and looked into the room. For once, he was grateful for the stupid glass walls. He waved until he caught the pacing Dave's attention. House made a "keep going" motion with his hand. The agent nodded and sat back down.

-------

"Alright, Serenity. I'm just gonna come right out and tell you. Well, you know how I told you lately that Allison has been acting kinda strange? She's not as…amorous as she used to be and she's been somewhat distant. I just thought it was stress or something. The diagnostic team had a tough case and lost a patient, so I thought her attitude was caused by that.

Well, last night, I told her I had to chase down a lead on the Carmela case that would require me to do an overnight to Pennsylvania and that I wouldn't be over to visit her. The lead was a dead end and I didn't have to drive down there, but it was still late when I was done, so I went to your place instead. I've been staying there most nights with Robert and Mitch when he's in town. Man, I can't believe I'm telling you this!

Anyway, I got to the house, went in, and headed on downstairs. I wanted to get in a workout and do some paperwork before turning in. Well, when I got down there, I went to the back bedroom to drop off my bag and change into my sweats. You aren't going to believe what I saw! Chase was there…but, sweetie, he wasn't alone. Allison…my Allison, was with him in the bed. They were asleep, but since they were both naked…well, you do the math. Serenity, I swear, I almost killed him. I had my weapon out and pointed at his head before he had even awakened completely.

He looked so scared. Allison woke up and she nearly fainted when she saw me. They both stammered out some cock-and-bull story about how Allison has loved him all this time and Robert was feeling really down one day and one thing led to another, blah, blah, blah. I still had the gun on them while they were talking. Fortunately, Mitch arrived, or else I don't know what would…Serenity? Ow, sweetie, you're squeezing my….hand?! Serenity?! House! House, get in here!!"

House was already nearly at the door. He and Robert had watched the EEG monitor go crazy before settling into somewhat erratic beta waves, indicating anxious thoughts. Anxious, but awake, or close to it. Robert had jumped out of his seat, but House pushed him back in it and said, "Stay". He burst into the room seconds after David called him.

House made his way over to the bed, where Serenity was moving her hand slightly. Her lips were moving and she seemed to be trying to speak. House went and leaned over her. "Serenity, open your eyes! Come on, you've been slacking off for way too long. Open your eyes!" Serenity's eyelids fluttered once, twice, then her eyes slowly opened. She blinked rapidly then squinted a bit, trying to focus. She saw House standing over her and tried to reach him to get him closer. He took her hand and leaned over so that his ear was just over her lips. He heard her say something, but couldn't make it out. He turned to her and said, "I'm multli-lingual, but I don't speak mumble. What'd you say?" Serenity tightened her grip on House's hand and glared at him furiously, causing him to flinch. He leaned closer again and heard her raspy voice for the first time in four months: "I…I…I'm….go….gonna…kill…kill him."


	5. Chapter 4 LIES, LIES

_Thanks again to all those that reviewed. You guys ROCK!  
_

**CHAPTER 4 – LIES…LIES…CAN'T BELIEVE A WORD THEY SAY**

It took about 5 minutes for nearly everyone closely associated with Serenity to show up at her room. They all made way for Eric, who examined her and declared that his initial assessment showed her to be neurologically sound. Serenity was able to move, but she couldn't hold herself upright and she could not even attempt to stand. Lisa had to hold her cup of water for her because she lacked the strength to lift the cup to her lips.

Noticeably absent from the room were Robert and Cameron. And Serenity herself looked less than thrilled at all of the people in her room. House noticed and quickly shooed everyone out, except for David. When the room was empty, House pulled up a chair next to the bed.

"Serenity, I'm going to tell you something. It might make you very angry at first, but…" She interrupted. "Look, House, I already know about Chase and Cameron. Leave it alone…I really don't feel like talking about it!" House smirked. "Wow, you're really mad! You called him Chase!"

Serenity ground her teeth together. "House…I promise you, you WILL be the third person I go see when I can get out of this bed!"

House surreptitiously scooted his chair back a bit. He wasn't taking any chances. "Hmmm…I wonder who the first two will be?" Dave spoke up. "House, will you just get on with it?" House smiled and asked Serenity, "So, my little genius, what do you remember hearing while you were sleeping?"

Serenity narrowed her eyes at him, trying to ascertain whether or not he was pulling her leg. He seemed serious, so she told him the bits and pieces that she remembered. House was astonished. He'd never actually sat down and talked to a former coma patient before. Although he knew, in theory, that coma patients hear what's going on around them, seeing it in practice was a bit eerie. It definitely made him reconsider what he would say in Coma Guy's room. He noticed that Serenity's blood pressure was slightly elevated and that she was grinding her teeth again. She hadn't spoken about the last thing she heard, but he could tell she was thinking about it.

"Did you notice anything different for the past month?" House continued his queries. Serenity frowned. "My sense of time was…off. I did notice some changes, but I have no idea how long they lasted. Ro…Chase was around less frequently…so was Lisa, for that matter. Your immunologist visited me WAY too many times and Dave started being Mr. Sensitivity…talking about his feelings and such. It was horrible! And I seem to remember feeling uncomfortable…like I had pain on my…posterior. What was going on? At first, it was pleasant, like I was being pampered and taken care of. I wanted to float away forever. Then, it was as if the rug was swiped out from under me and my oasis was destroyed…" Serenity's voice trailed off and she looked at House.

He didn't say anything, just watched her. He could see the moment the lightbulb went off over her head. He needed to get Eric down to do another neurological exam…it took her too long to figure it out. He noticed her glaring at him and grinned at her. "What's the problem? It worked, didn't it?" Serenity practically snarled, "What worked? Making me miserable? Making me think that no one cared anymore? Causing me physical discomfort? Subjecting me to an audio assault, over and over again? Having the realization of my complete helplessness shoved so forcefully down my throat? What _exactly _worked, Gregory?"

House slid back another inch or so. He never realized that gray eyes could slice you to ribbons. He was kind of glad Dave was in the room. Serenity didn't give him a chance to respond to her tirade, but continued. "You know, I should have realized that this was all your doing. But just so you know, before you start getting an even bigger ego, your _treatment_ didn't wake me up! Hearing about Robert and Cameron's betrayal woke me up! Knowing that the man that I loved, the man that I gave myself to…the ONLY man that I gave myself to, could be so traitorous….that the woman who claimed to want to try to be my friend, but was secretly lusting after MY man, could do something like this….did you really think _Baba O'Reilly_ would really affect me enough to give up the peace I had finally found?!!!"

House looked her straight in the eye and answered, "No, I didn't." There was no further noise in the room except for the sound of Serenity trying to catch her breath. House glanced at David, who looked like he was about to bolt from the room, and back at Serenity, who had her eyes closed. Tears were slowly leaking out of her closed eyes and down the side of her face. He had to lean forward to hear her when she started speaking.

"So it was a lie? The story about Robert and Cameron? It was a lie? David?" She looked over at her friend, who was trying hard not to fidget. He looked everywhere in the room except at her. She persisted. "David!" He got up and paced around the room a bit. Two sets of startling eyes followed him. He stopped with his back to the bed and hung his head. Resigned, he said, "It was the only thing we could think of to save your life. You were responding to the other stimuli, but it wasn't enough. We had to bump it up a notch…" Serenity exploded.

"Bump it up a notch?! BUMP IT UP A NOTCH?!! Is that what you called the utter destruction of my heart?! Do you know what it's like out there….in a place where time and space don't seem to matter…it would be so easy just to let go and float away…_all_ the way away. It was peaceful and relaxing there, yes, and I felt content, but it did take effort to stay there. I felt like I was being pulled in two directions. One way was emptiness…nothingness…but it felt perfect. I was feeling good, but this…void….it was better. Because I could forget everything bad that had ever happened to me. I could permanently erase the vision of my fiancé lying in his own blood…my sister's body after that demon was finished with it…all of the murder scenes I've seen…the sound of students laughing at me because I was too young to do anything they could do…I could forget the loneliness that's been a part of my life as long as I could remember."

Serenity was openly sobbing now as she continued. "The emptiness was an end to all of that. Everything would feel good again. But do you know why…why I held on? DO YOU?!! Because in that emptiness, I would lose that love that I had just discovered. That wonderful, beautiful love that happens when you find that perfect person for you. Robert's love and devotion kept me anchored…it enabled me to hold on. And even though lately, I'd felt myself slipping, I still held on, because he told me he would love me forever…and I believed him!!! And then you…" Serenity struggled to sit up and pointed her finger at David, who shrunk into the corner of the room.

"You took that from me. You totally destroyed me. All I had was that love. I know….Lisa loves me, you love me, Mitch, Eric…I know I have friends. But…Robert poured out his whole heart to me and I've shared a part of myself with him that no one else has ever known…not just the physical, but my very soul." Serenity pushed herself all the way up on shaky arms and faced House. "I know you put him up to it. I'm sure you convinced him, and yourself, that it was for the best. But did any of you realize that _that_ was the only thing keeping me alive?"

House spoke quietly. "Obviously it wasn't, or you wouldn't be here." Serenity glared at him. "Oh, you're so damn smug. Of course, you're right. It couldn't possibly be that the very rage at the idea that it was all a lie would be enough to kick me out of that peaceful place and back into this chaos? Oh, no…that can't be it. You got the results you wanted…the hell with how you got them! Forget about emotional whirlwind you sent me on. As long as your puzzle is solved, it's all good."

House rolled his eyes. "You're alive, you're awake. Quit your bitchin', already!" Serenity glared at him and looked at Dave. "Did Robert know about this?" Dave, caught off guard at the question, stammered a bit and glanced at House. Serenity also looked at House. "So he knew. Was it his idea or yours?" House looked at her but didn't answer. Serenity leaned back on her pillow and closed her eyes, the tears slowly leaking from her eyes. "How could he do that to me?" David started over towards her bed. "Serenity, we thought…" She didn't let him finish.

"Dave, I want you to leave. And take House with you. I don't want to see anyone who isn't medically relevant." Dave looked like he'd been slapped. "But…Serenity, don't do this…" "Goodbye, David." Serenity turned over on her side with her back to the two men and closed her eyes. Maybe, if she was lucky, she could go back to sleep and never wake up.


	6. Chapter 5  HOPELESSLY DEVOTED TO YOU

_This one is short, so I'll post two tonight. Don'tcha love me?_

**CHAPTER 5 – HOPELESSLY DEVOTED TO YOU**

Serenity carefully pulled her legs over the side of the bed and scooted forward until her toes were barely touching the floor. She sighed over her own petite-ness and pushed the control to lower the bed height some more. When her feet were planted on terra firma, she carefully pulled herself up off of the bed. "_Stupid doctor…what does he know. I told him it wouldn't take me weeks to stand up_!" Serenity gloated internally. She would have done it out loud, but there was no one in the room to hear her. "_And whose fault is THAT?_" Serenity told her inner voice to shut up and tried to walk over to the recliner. She took two steps before her legs gave out and she fell to the floor with a cry.

Serenity didn't even have time to work out a plan for getting back up on the bed. Her door opened and Donna came rushing in. "Serenity, what on earth are you doing out of bed?" Serenity shrugged. "Falling, apparently." Donna pressed her lips together in a tight line, finding absolutely no amusement in the current situation. Without saying another word, the nurse helped Serenity up and carefully supported her as she shuffled back to the hospital bed. Serenity was breathing hard by the time she settled under the covers. Donna had no sympathy for her.

Without saying another word, Donna took care of straightening the covers and adjusting Serenity's pillows. She straightened up the room a bit and checked the water pitcher. Donna also took a set of vitals and updated the I & O chart. She completed all of her tasks without saying anything to Serenity besides "Hold out your arm" and "Open your mouth". Serenity watched her as she worked and realized that Donna was treating her just like any other patient. Actually, that wasn't true. She had seen Donna interacting with patients before and the nurse was always warm and pleasant. At the moment, she was being coldly efficient. Serenity didn't like it.

"Is there anything else I can do for you before I go?" Donna asked Serenity as she prepared to leave. Serenity had had enough. "Yeah, you can tell me what the hell is wrong with you! Why are you being so unfriendly?"

Donna snapped at her. "Well, apparently you don't want any friends." Serenity glared at her. "I never said that", she muttered. "Didn't you?!" Donna shot back. The nurse opened her mouth to say something else, but closed it, shook her head, and turned to leave the room.

At the door, she stopped, and, without turning around, asked, "Have you gotten a good look at Robert lately? No…of course you haven't." Donna turned around and fixed Serenity with a hard look. "He's lost about 20 pounds in the past few months. Eric and I had to practically bully him to get him to eat anything. Even House slipped him mickey to get him to sleep. He's done nothing but worry about you! He stayed by your side every night, except when we had girl's nights. He cried for you, prayed for you, took better care of you than any nurse I've ever seen, and spent hours researching everything he could finds on comas. When he came up with his plan, he was desperate."

Donna saw the tears in Serenity's eyes and took a step forward. "Serenity, you were dying. You were losing cognitive function and drifting away. He did what he did because he loved you too much to just give up and let you go. Even now, when you won't even talk to him, he's still looking out for you." At Serenity's raised eyebrow, Donna explained. "How do you think I got in here so fast when you fell? He's been lurking around the nurse's station since you woke up last week. He sits over on the side slightly behind you, so he can see you, but you can't see him. When you fell, he was heading towards your room, but he saw me and sent me instead. He loves you enough to abide by your wishes not to see him."

Serenity turned away from Donna, her shoulders shaking slightly. Donna came over and laid a gentle hand on her shoulder. "You need to forgive him. His only crime is loving you." She turned and walked out the door, leaving Serenity to her thoughts and tears.


	7. Chapter 6  THE PLOT THICKENS

**CHAPTER 6 – THE PLOT THICKENS**

Later that night, Serenity looked up anxiously as the night nurse came in. She noticed that the woman didn't smile at her. Now that she thought about it, no one smiled at her anymore. She knew that Robert was popular at the hospital, especially among the females. They probably all hated her guts because of how she had been treating him. She hesitantly asked the nurse, "Umm, I was wondering…" she snuck a look at the nurse's ID badge and smiled slightly, "…Sarah, if Dr. Chase was still out by the nurse's station?" The nurse looked at her scornfully and replied, "We were told not to bother you with any information about Dr. Chase." Serenity ground her teeth and said as nicely as possible, "Well, it isn't bothering me with information if I'm the one asking for it. Is he here?"

Sarah glared at her, not fooled one bit by the sugary tone she had used. Serenity shrugged. Maybe she should try some straightforward honesty. "Look, I've been an idiot. A complete fool. Do…do you know what's been going on?" Sarah rolled her eyes. "At this hospital? Everyone knows what's going on." Serenity smiled ruefully. "There probably aren't too many people who would argue with my assessment of my own behavior, huh?" Sarah smiled back. "Not really, no."

Serenity leaned forward, lowering her voice. Unconsciously, Sarah leaned closer. "Look, Sarah, I need to tell Robert how I feel, but he may not want to come in here. I know you guys just had a shift change and the night crew is on, right?" Sarah nodded and Serenity continued. "I know everyone is making rounds right now. I'm going to do something kind of drastic, but I need to make sure Robert is the only one around the nurse's station when I do it. Is this a good time?" Sarah pursed her lips. The nurse in her didn't want Serenity to do whatever foolish thing she was going to do, but the romantic in her wanted to help nudge the couple back together. Romance won as Sarah answered, "Give me ten minutes. I'll make sure he's the only one around. Just…be careful, okay?" Serenity nodded then leaned forward, giving the nurse a quick hug.

"Thank you so much. I'll try to fix this mess I made. I promise, I'll do whatever I can to make that man happy." Sarah smiled at Serenity and said, "Good luck!" as she walked towards the door. At the threshold, Sarah turned around. "By the way, I like your old name better." Sarah winked at her and walked out. Serenity leaned back with a smile, which faded as she looked at the clock. As the minutes ticked away, she started to become nervous. "_What if it was too late? What if he can't forgive me?_" She looked at the clock and realized she only had a minute left. She quickly bit down on and chewed the rest of the peppermint she had popped into her mouth about 6 minutes ago and prepared herself for what she was about to do. This was going to be painful, but it was the least she could do after all she put Robert through.

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Robert yawned and looked around, frowning. It looked deserted on the floor. "_Where is everyone?_", he wondered. He had been reading a medical journal on personality changes in former coma patients and hadn't even noticed that he was the only one at the nurse's station. He saw one nurse, Sarah, at the other end of the hall, coming out of one room and going into another. But other than her, no one else was around. He glanced over at Serenity's room and his heart almost stopped. She was out of bed, trying to walk again. He stood up and hurried over to the room, speeding up as he saw her wobble and fight to stay upright. "_Oh, God! Let me get to her on time, please!_" He picked up his pace and practically ran into her room.

-------

Serenity felt her legs about to give out on her. She tried to windmill her arms to get steady, but her legs just couldn't support her anymore. She felt herself falling backwards and hoped that she didn't knock herself unconscious. All of this effort would be for nothing if she slept through her rescue. She closed her eyes in anticipation of hitting the hard floor. She knew how to fall properly from all of her martial arts training, but no amount of training made it enjoyable to hit a concrete floor. She was shocked when she felt arms catch her from behind. She gasped when those arms shifted position and lifted her off of her feet. She looked into the gray-green eyes of her rescuer. "_Wow! He _has_ lost a lot of weight! But he's still strong…and sexy!" _

Serenity wrapped her arms around his neck and smiled slightly when he raised his eyebrow in surprise. He smiled back and asked her in a soft voice, "Need a hand?" Serenity chuckled. "Apparently, I need two hands and some strong arms to go with them." Robert started to laugh quietly as well, then stopped suddenly, narrowing his eyes at her. "I'll be damned…", he muttered under his breath and stalked over to her bed and dumped her on it.

Serenity gasped in outrage and got up on her knees on the bed. Her shaky muscles quivered with the effort, but she refused to give in to the weakness. "What was that all about?", Serenity demanded. Robert was openly glaring at her now with his arms crossed in front of him. "You did that on purpose! You fell on purpose, didn't you? What, did you get the nurses to clear out so I'd have to come in and rescue you? What if you had gotten hurt? Do you really want to knock yourself into another coma? What were you thinking?" Robert had started pacing while he fussed. Serenity watched him, trying not to smile. Robert whirled around and faced her. "What do you have to say for yourself?"

Serenity looked at him haughtily. "Just so you know, I did NOT fall on purpose." Robert's eyes widened and he looked slightly sheepish. She continued. "I didn't fall on purpose, but I did get out of bed for the purpose of getting you in here. Falling was an unfortunate side effect." Robert's sheepish look was replaced with an angry one. "Do you enjoy scaring the life out of me? All you had to do was ask me to come in! You didn't have to scare me and risk hurting yourself. And you accuse ME of being manipulative?" Robert gave her a disgusted look and turned to walk away.

Feeling slightly panicked now, Serenity called after him, "Robert, wait…" She tried to get up as she called him but her legs became tangled in the sheet and she pitched forward off of the bed. Robert rushed back and caught her before she hit the floor face first. The both looked at each other in mild shock over the near accident and Serenity said adamantly, "That was a complete accident…I swear!" Robert nodded and gently helped her back into bed. She grabbed his hand before he could leave again.

"Rob…please, don't go. I'm sorry. I wasn't trying to manipulate you. I thought….well, I didn't know if you would come in or not. I thought it might be too late…that maybe I had messed everything up for good. I love you so much…please…don't go." Serenity was appalled to feel the tears running down her cheeks and to hear the pleading in her voice, but the absolute emptiness she felt when he started walking way was more than she could bear. She would swallow her pride and get on her knees and beg, if that's what it took.

Robert looked down at the hand she was grasping, then looked up into her eyes. She saw indecision in his, so she tried one more time. She stroked the side of his face with her other hand. "Robert, I've been an ass. I realize that you did what you did to save me. I shouldn't have been angry with you. I was so consumed with hurt over what I _thought_ you did that it blinded me to what you actually did, which was save my life. I'm sorry I've put you through hell this past week…these past months. I've been selfish and you've been selfless and sacrificing and wonderful. Please forgive me." Serenity kissed the hand that she was holding and sat with her head down. She couldn't look at him while she waited to see what he would do.

Serenity let out an anguished sob when Robert pulled his hand away from hers and walked to the door. She covered her face with her hands and cried silently, hating herself. A soft voice reached her ears and gentle hands pulled hers away from her face. "Hey, sweetheart…it's okay. I was just pulling the blinds closed and shutting the door." Serenity peaked around her hands to see. The room was much darker without the light coming in from the hallway. She looked at Robert questioningly.

He smiled at her and got down on both knees in front of her so he was nestled between her legs. He put his arms around her and hugged her tightly. She hugged him back, leaning over him so they were completely enveloping each other. She saw his shoulders shaking and realized that he was crying. She threaded her hands through his hair and pulled his head back. She kissed the tears on his face one by one. She leaned her forehead against his and whispered to him, "I love you, Robert Chase. And you are stuck with me forever." Robert smiled up at her. "Promise?" She nodded and slowly leaned down and kissed his lips.

Robert was thrilled. He hadn't felt her lips moving against his in over four months. It felt like Heaven. He slowly got to his feet, his lips never leaving hers. He carefully crawled into the bed next to her and proceeded to show her exactly how much he missed her.

When Nurse Sarah walked by about 15 minutes later, she saw that the nurse's station was empty. She glanced at Serenity's room and noticed that the door was closed as well as the blinds. She grinned and wrote a "Do not disturb" sign, which she quietly taped to the door. Then she went to find her co-workers to spread the happy news about the couple.


	8. Chapter 7  NIGHT TIME IS THE RIGHT TIME

**CHAPTER 7 – NIGHTTIME IS THE RIGHT TIME**

Donna sighed contentedly. She reached into the bowl and pulled out a handful of popcorn. She reached behind her and popped a few pieces into Eric's mouth. She was sprawled in front of him, sitting between his legs on the sofa, as they watched a DVD. They were just starting movie three of the Lord of the Rings marathon Eric had subjected her to. She hadn't really wanted to see it, but found herself becoming immersed in the story of Frodo and the rest.

Donna went to reach for more popcorn and her hand encountered Eric's. He stroked her hand with his finger and laced his fingers through hers. He leaned down and kissed her lightly on her forehead, then moved down and kissed each of her eyelids. Then his soft lips trailed down and nuzzled her cheek, then the side of her neck. As he nibbled on her ear, Donna moaned softly and tilted her head to give him better access. Eric reached down, picked up the popcorn bowl from her lap, and placed it on the coffee table. He then shifted so that she was lying on the sofa and he was laying on top of her, driving her crazy with soft little kisses, nibbles, and licks on her neck and ears, where he knew she was extremely sensitive.

Eric's hands crept upward from her waist, slipping under the Hopkins t-shirt that she was wearing. His fingers began to tease and stroke her as Donna's breath started coming in little gasps. Both of them nearly growled in frustration when the phone rang. Eric reached over and snatched up the phone. "What?", he snapped.

The person on the other line, the nursing shift supervisor on Serenity's floor, hesitated a moment. "Um…I was trying to reach…wait, is this Dr. Foreman?" Eric frowned and held the phone away from his ear to get a closer look at it. He had picked up Donna's phone by accident. He was surprised it hadn't happened before, since they had the same phone. He shook his head at his gaffe and spoke again in a nicer tone. "Yes, this is Dr. Foreman. Are you trying to reach Donna?"

Michelle, the nurse, sighed in relief. "Yes, I am. Is she available? I'm sorry to call so late, but it's important. She told me to call if there was anything of note happening with Serenity." Eric sat up quickly. "Is she okay?", he asked worriedly. Michelle was quick to reassure him. "Oh, no…she's fine. In fact, she's better than fine." Eric was going to question her further, but decided to give Donna the phone instead. Eric told Michelle to hold on, then handed the phone to Donna, who looked puzzled.

Donna said hello and listened to the excited voice on the other end. Her side of the conversation was full of a couple of gasps, a "Really?", and a "That's wonderful!". Eric was dying to know what was going on, especially when Donna started snickering and said, "Two hours ago, huh?" Donna thanked Michelle for the information and hung up the phone. She beamed at Eric and then gasped, "Oh! Allison!" Donna flipped her phone open and pushed a button. Eric, who was getting frustrated, tried to ask her what was going on, but she shushed him while she waited for Allison to get on the phone.

Donna listened to the third ring, wondering if Allison was asleep. She glanced over at Eric and noticed that he was pouting slightly because she wouldn't tell him what was going on. He looked totally adorable. Donna grinned at him again then leaned over and gave him a big smacking kiss. Right then, Allison picked up the phone.

"Um…hello?" Allison sounded a little confused…and slightly out of breath. Donna answered. "Hey, Ally, it's Donna. Sorry to call so late but Michelle from Serenity's unit called me…no, everything is good…well, remember what I told you I said to her and her reaction…uh-huh…well, it seems as if she might have actually listened. Michelle told me that Serenity got a nurse to help her get Robert in the room so she could talk to him and he's been in there for over two hours…Oh, that's not the best part. The shades are drawn and the lights are off…yes!...Yes! More than two hours ago!...Oh, honestly, Allison – do you really think they're sleeping?...My mind isn't in the gutter, Miss Polly Puritan – maybe you need to have a dirty thought or two, especially about your FBI guy…NO! He's there right now? Why the heck did you answer the phone?...Right…the doctor thing. Well, don't let me keep you. I just know that you were worried about them because of your part in the whole deception…Look, Al, I keep telling you it wasn't your fault. You didn't even know what the plan was. Even if you did, it was for the greater good, so get over it already…oh!"

Eric had had enough. He started to slowly nibble and kiss his way up Donna's stomach, causing her abdominal muscles to flex. She gasped again.

"…um, Ally, I gotta go….oh my!...no, no, I'm fine….I'll…um…I'll talk to you later…what?...I don't know….look, I'll talk to you later!" Donna snapped the phone closed on Allison's voice and gasped again as Eric's lips claimed hers in a scorching kiss. The last coherent thought Donna had was that she hoped Robert was making Serenity feel the way she was feeling right now.

-----

Allison looked at the phone in confusion. "She hung up on me!" She looked over at David, who was lying next to her and tracing circles on her naked back. He frowned. "Hung up on you? That wasn't nice. Did she seem mad?" Allison shook her head. "No. At first she was telling me the news about Serenity. Apparently we're out of the doghouse. Well, Robert is, but I'm assuming she's forgiven everyone. She and Robert are steaming up the windows in her room as we speak." David shuddered a bit. "That's a visual I didn't need!"

Allison lightly smacked his shoulder and continued. "Anyway, she was dishing the dirt about those two, then she started sounding distracted, then she hung up on me. It was weird. I wonder if I should call back to see if she's okay." David took the phone out of her hand. "If there are any problems, Eric will take care of it. He's over there tonight. He talked Donna into some Lord of the Rings marathon thingy." Allison smirked. "Poor woman. Maybe that's why she was so…" Allison stopped as the light bulb came on over her head. She began to grin. "Maybe I should call her. I'm sure she'd appreciate the interruption as much as we did." David smiled back at her. "You are an evil woman. Maybe that's why I love you."

Allison kissed him softly on the cheek. Dave was having none of it. He pulled her on top of him and kissed her thoroughly until they were both breathless. Allison lay her head on his chest as she tried to catch her breath and slow her heart rate. Suddenly, she sat up and said, "House!" David drawled, "I'm pretty sure you're not supposed to call out your boss's name while lying in bed with your man. _Especially_ when you used to have the hots for said boss." Allison frowned at him. She didn't know which blabbermouth she had to thank for telling David about her little infatuation, but he had been teasing her about it ever since he found out.

She leaned over him and picked up her phone that he had deposited onto the nightstand. "He said to call him if anything unusual happened. I'm pretty sure he'd want to know about this" David looked dubious. "Why? It's not a medical issue and it's not an emergency." Allison shrugged. "No, but it is something that he can make snarky comments about and hold over their heads. He'll definitely want to know." David lay his head back on the pillow, defeated. "I don't see why you can't tell him in the morning. He'll never know that you waited a few hours to tell him."

Allison dialed his number and said ominously, "It's House. He'll know. And the bastard would find a way to make _me_ pay."

-----

House snatched the phone off the cradle in mid ring. "You'd better be dying" was his gruff greeting. He heard Cameron's voice on the other end. He listened dispassionately as she excitedly told him what was going on. He rolled his eyes. "_Would she ever learn?_", he thought. He kept his voice low as he responded. "You called me at 1:50 in the morning to tell me that Chase was getting some?" He listened with a smirk as she stammered out her reasons for calling him. "Look, Cameron, just because you consider your recent sexcapades to be a newsworthy event, most people don't get that excited about it. Now leave me alone. And tell that agent of yours that he obviously isn't doing his job if you have enough energy to call me in the middle of the night."

Hose smiled slightly as he heard a shuffling noise then a male voice on the phone. "House, stop being an ass. She was just trying to keep you in the loop. And for your information, I am doing my job just fine. Stay out of my love life or else I'll dig deeper into yours. Unless you want your team to know _exactly_ why you probably weren't actually asleep at 2:00 in the morning."

House blinked. It was rare that someone shocked him. And he definitely didn't expect it from David. Mitch, maybe, but not this overgrown Boy Scout. It was a possibility that David was bluffing. House glanced at the woman lying next to him, looking at him expectantly, and sighed. Better not take any chances. He spoke into the phone. "Fine. Your love life is off limits…what? No, I don't want to talk to her again….oh…Cameron, you're back. Do you have anything else of importance to impart?...Fine. Goodnight…what? No, you don't have to call her. I'll let her know tomorrow. We definitely don't want her to miss out on her beauty sleep. Goodbye!" House hung up the phone and reached out, pulling the woman closer to him so that he could explore her body at his leisure. He didn't get to sleep until 4 o'clock.

-----

Allison blinked at the phone. Amazing that she's been hung up on twice in the past 15 minutes. She shook her head. "Hmm, I bet he isn't going to remember to call Cuddy. Maybe I should call her anyway…" David gently, but firmly took the phone from her again. "I'm pretty sure she'll know all about it before you see her again. Don't disturb her. It's late."

Allison nodded and smiled at him. She couldn't believe she had such an intelligent and sexy man in her bed, looking at her now through hooded eyes. He reached out and lifted her on top of him, sliding his hands down her thighs and bringing them on either side of him, causing her to straddle him. She smiled seductively as she felt the evidence of his desire for her. She leaned over and hungrily kissed his mouth. And for the rest of the night, she didn't once think about Robert, Serenity, or her cranky boss.


	9. Chapter 8  THAT'S USING YOUR HEAD

_Kinda short chapter today! Sorry…_

**CHAPTER 8 – THAT'S USING YOUR HEAD **

Serenity lay out on the mat, breathing heavily. She was more tired than usual after her run on the treadmill, but she was told it would take time to get back to her normal self. It had been a month since she and Robert made up and since that time, he had been her tireless (and ruthless) workout partner. She no longer took joy in her workouts and there were some days he literally needed to drag her out of bed and downstairs to the Fortress of Solitude. She had laughingly pointed out that she couldn't call it that anymore since most of the men currently in her life had taken over the place, but the name stuck.

She had been absolutely horrified when she came home and saw her once pristine home. Oh, sure, the guys had tried to clean up, but they couldn't undo 4 months of damage in a week. Her carpet had some stains, one of her glass figurines was mysteriously missing (although the shard of glass she nearly stepped on gave her a clue about that one), the coffee maker apparently hadn't been cleaned properly the whole time she was hospitalized, and there was a rip in her workout mat. Apparently Dave had tried to show Eric how to use the _sai _and it slipped from his grip, embedding in the mat. Serenity gave David hell about that, since someone could have seriously been hurt. Overall, the house had a slight "frat house" feel to it…a frat house full of boys who know it's family weekend and have tried to clean up for Mom.

David had been the most scared of what Serenity would say when she saw the place. Right after Serenity started talking to Robert again, he had been called away for a couple of days to chase down a lead on Carmela. He had told Eric and Robert to clean up. He warned them that they didn't want Serenity to get home to a less than perfect house. He had arrived back in town only minutes before Robert arrived with the newly discharged Serenity. David had taken one horrified look around and went to the door to get out of Dodge before Serenity arrived. Unfortunately, he ran into the couple as they were about to come in the door.

Serenity had taken one quick look around and immediately asked, "Where is the glass elephant that used to sit on that shelf?" After a quick look at Dave, who shook his head, Eric shrugged and said, "Elephant? There was an elephant?" They had all agreed that if any lying had to be done, it would be done by either Eric or Dave, because Robert couldn't lie if he was sprawled out on a bed. After doing a thorough inspection of her house, Serenity had looked at each of them in turn and said sadly, "So this is how you treat my home while I'm in a coma?" She had shaken her head at them and went upstairs to her room, leaving behind three very guilt ridden men. The next day, a cleaning crew cleaned the house from top to bottom, making it sparkle once again.

-----

Serenity smiled as she reminisced about the day of her homecoming. It had been all she could do to maintain her sad look until she got upstairs. Then, she had to laugh into her pillow so they wouldn't overhear her. She was annoyed with their carelessness, but she actually had expected it to be worse. Still, she was very happy to see the cleaning crew the next day. She stretched and slowly sat up, feeling the twinges as her muscles tried to reassert themselves.

She sighed. It was hard to get used to limitations. She was only able to run 3 miles without feeling as though she would have a coronary. She usually ran between 5 and 8 miles. She also hadn't been able to do many of her martial arts routines. She was okay with the T'ai Chi, but hadn't progressed back up to using weapons yet. She eyed her "wall of death" as Robert called it. Maybe she should practice with the '_chuks_. They definitely required dexterity and coordination, and they would be a good way to get herself back into a groove. They were not her favorite or best weapon, but she had acquired a level of proficiency with them. She flipped to her feet, glad she could still do _that_, and walked over to the wall to get the _nunchuks_.

-----

When Robert got home and came downstairs 15 minutes later, he found Serenity sprawled out on the floor, unconscious. He dropped the food he was carrying and ran over to her, stumbling to his knees at her side. He was relieved when he heard her groan and saw her eyelids flutter. "Don't move", he ordered, pushing Robert back and allowing Dr. Chase to step up to the plate. Surprisingly, she complied, looking at him and following his finger on command. He examined the knot on her head and glanced down at the _nunchaku_ on the mat beside her. "Not quite up to par yet, are you?", he asked, trying valiantly not to smile.

Serenity narrowed her eyes at him. "Are you trying not to laugh, Robert?", she asked in a deceptively soft voice. Robert gamely swallowed his chuckles and put his arms around her to help her sit up. "No, sweetheart. Why on earth would I laugh at you? I mean, just because you knocked yourself unconscious with your own weapon, well, there's absolutely nothing funny about _that_." Serenity rolled her eyes at him and slowly stood up, holding his arm for support. She gave him a blank look. "Well, you'll really get a chuckle over this. It's the second time it's happened to me. The first time was when I was fighting for my life against Winston armed with nothing but a chain. I was lucky and the weapon I was using just missed knocking me out. Of course, this didn't stop that psychopath from getting the best of me. It just prolonged the inevitable. I guess I just have to accept the fact that I'm not as good as I thought I was."

Serenity let go of his arm and walked with quietly towards the stairs, Robert's worried eyes following her.


	10. Chapter 9  THE GREAT ESCAPE

_This is a part of the story that I love. Serenity and Robert are going to have some "them" time, so get ready to say goodbye to the PPTH crew for a while. They really need this time together and this will get rather romance-y and mushy. And we get to see Jealous!Serenity. What fun!_

**CHAPTER 9 – THE GREAT ESCAPE**

Robert signed his last patient's chart and put it down at the nurse's station. He sighed and glanced at his watch. He had 10 minutes left until his clinic time was over. Normally, he didn't really mind clinic all that much. It got him away from House's caustic tongue if nothing else. Although things had been slightly better between the two of them since the Dumas incident (as they all coined it), he was still the brunt of most of House's barbs. Eric had started responding to House's jibes with some vitriol of his own, and Allison was so happy lately that nothing House said to her got any reaction. Not that he had been picking on her that much. Between the lingering feeling of fear surrounding her kidnapping and her big, strapping, gun-toting FBI boyfriend, House was unusually mellow when it came to Allison. So…that left Robert as his favorite target.

Robert sighed again, wishing the day was over. He wanted to take Serenity out to dinner and maybe some paintball afterwards. He got Dave to agree to it and the agent was going to work on Allison. Donna had given an unequivocal "no" and Eric, much to Robert's amusement, meekly agreed. It completely entertained him watching the two of them together. Donna was very outspoken and strong-willed, and Eric usually went along with her. They both seemed very happy together, so he didn't tease Eric too much. Although he might have said something about being whipped under his breath when Eric said they wouldn't be joining them tonight. Eric had just smiled at him and said, "Talk to me tomorrow after Dave has annihilated you out in the paintball field." Robert did feel a twinge of concern. Those paintballs hurt, after all. But it was worth it if it would cheer Serenity up a bit.

Serenity was almost 100 back to her former physical shape. In the four months since she'd come out of her coma, she'd been working hard to get herself back to her normal self. At first, Robert had had to push her to work-out. She had been lethargic and unmotivated to do anything. Frankly, Robert had been worried that she was sinking into depression. But after the _nunchuk_ incident, Serenity threw herself into her recovery. And despite his requests, she had been working out with the weapons as much as possible. She was back up to speed with the _chuks_ (after several bruises and a busted lip). Mitch had been assigned to the New York area and came as often as possible to workout with Serenity. He told Robert that Serenity was even better with swords than she used to be. And she was quite lethal with the _sai_, a fact that several practice dummies could attest to.

Robert was encouraged at first by her renewed enthusiasm for working out, but as her training and exercise times exceeded five hours per day, he began to get worried. She seemed to want to devote all of her time into becoming this fighting machine. He expressed his concerns to Mitch, who seemed equally apprehensive. Mitch had pointed out that Serenity felt vulnerable because someone had defeated her at her own game, so to speak. So she had no other choice, in her mind, than to become even better. Mitch suggested to Robert that if she seemed to get worse, maybe she would benefit from talking to a psychologist.

Robert snorted as he recalled how _that _conversation had gone. Not only had Serenity adamantly refused to see a psychologist, she'd been downright rude and nasty to him about it. After she called him a flaming idiot for scheduling an appointment for her, he let the matter drop. Of course, she made it up to him quite nicely later that night, but his feelings had been slightly hurt. After her rather demonstrative apology, she had calmly explained to him that she'd tried going to a psychologist after her sister was killed, but since she was a psychologist herself, she made a horrible patient and wound up frustrating the doctor to the point of near tears.

Robert started when he heard his name being called. Dr. Cuddy was standing in front of him with a frown on her face. He glanced at the clock and widened his eyes in surprise. His shift was over. Apparently he had spent the last ten minutes of his shift thinking about Serenity. He shook his head and looked inquiringly at Lisa. "I'm sorry, Dr. Cuddy. You wanted me for something?" Lisa continued to frown at him for a moment before gesturing towards her office. "Follow me, Dr. Chase. I need to talk to you."

Robert sighed softly and followed the clicking heels into the office. Lisa sat at her desk and pushed a box of candies towards Robert. He shook his head in refusal until she looked at him with one eyebrow raised. Sheepishly, he shrugged and took a piece of chocolate. Lisa kicked off her shoes and leaned back in her chair. She and Robert had gotten fairly close over the past 8 months and she considered him to be a good friend. Very few people in the hospital knew how casual they were with each other since they both maintained an air of professionalism at work. Probably everyone in the hospital would be shocked and amused if they had seen the two of them the night that he got double-teamed by Lisa and Serenity during a girl's night movie marathon.

Lisa and Serenity were watching chick flicks downstairs in the fortress on the new large screen plasma TV Serenity had purchased. Robert had been banned from coming downstairs and he hadn't been able to get Eric or Dave to come over. He had almost called House but came to his senses in time. So he decided to cure his boredom by crashing the girl's night. He loaded the water gun he had confiscated from House a while ago and snuck down the stairs. Apparently, his sneaking skills needed work because they were waiting for him. Serenity took out the water gun with a well-aimed slipper while Lisa took him out with a well-aimed tackle. She straddled him, leaning down and holding his arms down while Serenity tickled his feet…the only place he was ticklish. He almost embarrassed himself by wetting his pants, but he also had a revelation that night. He realized exactly how much he loved Serenity that evening. He had the Dean of Medicine, straddling his intimate parts with her lovely breasts pressed almost in his face and he didn't feel a thing. It must be love…

"Robert! ROBERT!" Robert shook himself out of his reverie…again. Lisa was staring at him incredulously. "What in the world is wrong with you? That's the second time in five minutes that I've interrupted your daydreaming. What's gotten into you? Is Serenity still acting…weird?"

Robert nodded. "She's like a machine. Between the physio and her martial arts training, she's involved in some sort of strenuous physical activity for about 10 hours every day. The other part of the day, she stays in bed. She won't talk about Winston, her sister, Jamal, Carmela…nothing. She's like…I dunno…like a volcano about to erupt."

Lisa nodded. "That's what I noticed, too. She won't come back to work here and Mitch told me she won't help him with any cases. Are the reporters still bothering her?" At Robert's nod, she sighed. "Serenity is still grieving and she's continually being reminded of the things that are causing her pain. Until she talks to those stupid reporters, they're going to keep bothering her about what happened. She needs to get away from all of this crap for a while." Lisa rested her forehead on her hands. After a moment, she looked up, a big smile on her face. "I have a fabulous idea. But it's going to cost a lot of money. Do you have it?", she asked bluntly. "I can get it", Robert responded tentatively. "What's your idea, Lisa?"

Lisa leaned forward eagerly and told him her idea.


	11. Chapter 10  SPLISH SPLASH

_You guys get two chapters today cuz I didn't post yesterday. It was for a good cause – I met someone new! And we talked all through the night. Sigh… He's so wonderful…I think I'll give ya three chapters today! Two now and one later!_

**CHAPTER 10 – SPLISH SPLASH, I WAS TAKING A BATH**

Robert rolled over in bed and groaned. His body ached from what felt like a million bruises all over his torso, back, and extremities. Next to him, he heard the evil chuckle of the woman who supposedly loved him. That love was nowhere in evidence when she and Allison teamed up against the men. He thought he only had David to worry about. When the two couples were fighting against each other on the paintball field, he automatically dismissed Allison from his mind as a potential threat. That was mistake number one. Apparently, she had excellent aim and a vindictive streak that he's never seen before. A particularly painful spot on his inner thigh was courtesy of his co-worker. He shuddered to think what would have happened if the paintball had hit him about 3 inches to the right.

Even with the added challenge of Allison Oakley, he still wasn't worried. He was a decent shot and had blown off steam all the way through medical school paintballing with friends. And Serenity was a good shot, although she thought guns were barbaric and inelegant. But she had a level of proficiency because of the training she went through while working with the FBI. It wasn't actually required training, but young Serenity had thought it would be cool to train with FBI agents so she begged Mitch to let her train with them. So Robert figured with Serenity by his side, that would neutralize the advantage David gave the other team. Mistake number two.

Apparently, the women had devised a plan ahead of time to abandon their respective teams and join forces to go after the menfolk. Pride prevented David and Robert from partnering up and that pride was their downfall. Individually, they were sitting ducks and the women picked them off like ducks in a carnival game. It was demoralizing. Robert would have liked to have claimed that chivalry prevented him from retaliating, but he would have been lying. The women outgunned them, plain and simple. The only comfort Robert had was that Dave had gotten it just as bad as he had, and was likely in as much pain. He groaned again then gritted his teeth when he heard Serenity laugh at him again.

"So you enjoy my suffering, do you, Judas?" Robert rolled over and looked at Serenity, who was looking at him with a grin on her face and her gray eyes dancing with mirth. "Judas? That's a little extreme, don't you think? All I did was make a strategic move to preserve the sanctity of my skin." Serenity's grin got bigger. Robert frowned, but inside he was pleased. He hadn't seen her this happy in a long while. Shame he had to get pummeled with painful projectiles to get a grin out of her. He focused on her last statement. "Preserve the sanctity… so in plain English, you ditched me to save your own butt?" Serenity leaned over and gave him a kiss on the forehead before climbing out of bed. She looked back at him before making her way to the bathroom. "I always knew you were a smart fellow, Robert Chase."

She went into the bathroom, leaving behind a very disgruntled Australian. His disgruntlement grew when he realized she was running bathwater. "Damn! I wanted to take a hot bath this morning", Robert grouched under his breath. Serenity had installed a Jacuzzi style bathtub in the master bathroom about a month ago and he had yet to use it. He saw steam began to waft from under the bathroom door and he began to pout. "_Not only did she jump in the bathroom ahead of me, she's using up all of the hot water!_", he thought crankily. He sat up slowly and gingerly poked at the large bruise on his right pectoral muscle. Serenity had tagged him twice in the same spot, probably on purpose. She had also sent a couple of shots to his right shoulder. The combination of the four shots caused him to have a lot of discomfort when he wielded his paintball gun…which was, Robert surmised, the plan all along.

When Serenity walked back in the bathroom, she saw Robert sitting on the edge of the bed, his hair tousled and a pouty frown on his face. He was glaring at a couple of bruises on his torso. Serenity felt a small pang of guilt. She was responsible for several of those bruises. She was sure it looked worse than it was, because of his fair skin, but she still felt bad. Well, she'd just have to make it up to him.

She walked over to Robert and nudged his knees apart so she could stand between his legs. She leaned down and gently began kissing all of the bruises on his arms and chest. Robert closed his eyes and enjoyed the attention he was getting. She leaned back from him and asked, "Did I miss any?" Robert nodded. "Your partner in crime almost made a eunuch out of me. Fortunately, she got my upper thigh." Serenity smiled. "Yeah, I saw that one. I told her that that particular area was off limits and any further violations would result in retaliation in kind on _her _main squeeze and the dissolution of our partnership. See…I was looking out for you, sweetie." Robert snorted. "Yeah, right. Were you looking out for me when you rendered my right arm practically useless?"

Serenity leaned over and kissed his right side bruises again. "I'm sorry, luv. In combat situations, one does what one must. But I decided to try to make amends. I ran you a hot bath and I even put bubbles in it." Robert smiled at her even as he blushed slightly. He hoped no one, _especially_ House, ever found out that he loved bubble baths. "Well, Dr. Serenity Blair, I don't think a bubble bath is enough to make up for the pain I'm going through right now."

Serenity sat down on his lap, facing him, and wrapped her legs around his waist. She leaned closer gently nipped his lower lip before whispering, "Did I mention the massage I was going to give you after _our_ bath?" She nibbled softly around the outside of his ear and down the side of his neck. Robert gave a small groan, the bruises and pain forgotten. He stood up, lifting her with him and headed towards the bathroom.

-----

Serenity sighed as she leaned back against Robert in the tub. The water was still wonderfully warm since she had paid beaucoup bucks for a heater in the tub. She glanced around the room and giggled softly at the pajamas that had been flung all over the room. She felt absolutely wonderful. She and Robert had been intimate since her recovery, but there had been _something_ missing, although she didn't know what. But whatever it was, it was back in full force. She felt alive again for the first time in months. She shivered slightly as Robert's hands trailed up her stomach and caressed the underside of her breasts. She moaned slightly as his hands traveled up, but her muscles tensed when his finger drifted over her scar.

Robert whispered in her ear, "I love every part of you. I love the way your little toe is crooked. I adore the way one eye is bigger than the other. I think the scar on your hip from where you fell off of your bike as a child is hot. The burn mark on your ear from your curling iron gives me a place to kiss. The extra little bit of padding that you carry on your butt drives me absolutely crazy with desire and this…" Robert's hand drifted to her scar again. "This reminds me of just how brave, smart, and wonderful you are and makes me fall in love with you all over again every time I see it. Don't ever flinch away from me when I touch it. It doesn't diminish anything about you and it definitely doesn't make you any less sexy."

Serenity closed her eyes and let his words flow over her. If at all possible, she loved him more at this moment than she ever had. He always seemed to understand her, without her having to say anything. She knew he had been worried about her, and he even had tried to convince her to see a shrink. While she didn't quite think all _that_ was necessary, it did feel nice to have someone worry about her for a change. She leaned her head back and gave him a soft kiss to lull him into a false sense of security before asking, "Exactly WHAT extra padding are you referring to, Robert?"

-----

Robert eyed Serenity cautiously as he grabbed a pair of sweats to put on. She was waiting for him by the bed to give him his promised massage. She had on a skimpy tank top that barely covered the essentials, no bra, and a pair of bikini underpants made of some sheer material that he highly approved of. She was sniffing the different bottles of oil on the nightstand, choosing which one she'd use today. She called it the "coma collection" since he had purchased them to use on her while she was unconscious. She told him that when she sniffed certain ones, she had vague flashbacks of things he talked about while he was massaging and exercising her limbs.

He was somewhat wary of her, especially when she told him, "Oh, you won't be needing any clothes on, Dr. Robbie. Come on over here to your big butt, crooked toed, mismatched eyed girlfriend." Robert grimaced and Serenity laughed. "Oh, Robert, stop being so paranoid! I'm teasing you. I thought that what you said was sweet, if slightly inaccurate, and I love you for saying it. Now come over here so I can make you feel better." Robert dropped his sweatpants on the floor with a grin and went over to the bed.


	12. Chapter 11  SIR ROBERT THE BRAVE

_Here's the promised third chapter. Review, review, review – it'll make me happy._

**CHAPTER 11: SIR ROBERT THE BRAVE **

Robert let out a deep sigh of contentment as Serenity massaged his back with the fragrant oil. She was straddling his back and he could feel the front of her brush against him from time to time as she leaned forward to reach his shoulder area. He was finding it difficult to stop himself from flipping over and kissing her senseless, but he behaved himself. He had some things to say to her and it needed to be done now. He considered waiting for the massage to be over, but decided that would be selfish.

"So, have you talked to Lisa lately?" Robert could tell by the pause in her massage that she had. "I talked to her a couple of days ago. Why?" Serenity resumed his massage, but Robert could almost sense a cautious feel to it now. "Well, I was talking to her yesterday before I came home and she mentioned that Dr. Brockington was retiring earlier than anticipated." "_Yep_", Robert thought, "_She's definitely onto me. This doesn't feel as good as it did a minute ago._" Robert shrugged slightly as Serenity's strong fingers dug in a little bit deeper.

Serenity took a deep breath and looked down at Robert's back, which was starting to get somewhat red. She gentled her massage and smoothed some more oil on his back, easing the soreness that she'd been inadvertently causing. She heard him sigh in relief and felt a bit of guilt creep up on her. That feeling was abolished with his next statement.

"Did she tell you about the job?" Serenity sat back on his buttocks, removing her hands from his back lest she inflict more damage. He couldn't just come out and ask her if she was going to take the damn job. Oh, no. He had to ease his way into it. Well, Serenity was having none of it. Not his sneaky methods or his topic of conversation. She shifted up on her knees and tapped his back. "Roll over." Robert flinched and debated the wisdom of this move. They were about to have an unpleasant conversation and if he rolled over, his most sensitive parts would be unprotected. With a silent prayer, he rolled over on his back

Serenity's diversionary tactic was clear the moment he rolled over. She slowly eased herself back down on him and captured his mouth in a hot kiss. Robert got caught up in the moment in spite of his resolve to finish the conversation. His hands crept to her stomach and the edge of her tank top. He pulled the tiny thing up over her head and pulled her down against him for another kiss. It was her smile, or rather, smirk, against his lips that snapped him back to reality. He twisted them around so he was on top of her then he leaned up on his elbow and looked down at her. "So, are you going to take the job?"

Serenity tried to sit up, but he had effectively pinned her with his legs and body. He knew she could get out of it if she really wanted to, but she'd have to hurt him to do it and she rarely used any moves on him that hurt, unless they were sparring and she got under his guard. He shook his head at her. "Ah, ah, ah. Answer my question. Are you going to accept the position as head of the pathology department?" Serenity glared at him then gritted out, "No! Now let me up!"

Robert shook his head at her again. "Nah, I don't think so. When are you going to come out of this cocoon you've built around yourself and join the rest of the world? I know you have a good deal of money saved up, and I know that you get plenty of income from your books, which, by the way, have been in the top ten NY Times non-fiction list for the past 5 months. Congratulations." Serenity glared at him again. "Bite me!", she snapped. Robert leaned forward, whispered, "Gladly", and nibbled lightly on her sensitive spot right above her collarbone. Serenity stopped struggling for a moment and closed her eyes. "You don't fight fair, Robbie." Robert smiled. She only called him Robbie when she was trying to soften him up. Robert shifted again so he was completely covering her, but he propped himself up on his elbows on either side of her shoulders so he wasn't totally squishing her. He gently took her face in his hands.

"Serenity, I love you. I love you more with each day that I'm alive. I actually pray to God, thanking him for bringing you into my life. And because I love you, I can't let you do this to yourself. You haven't talked about what happened. You won't talk to your best friend, you won't talk to me, you won't talk to a psychiatrist. You can't hold it inside. You have to let it go or it's going to destroy you. Then Winston would have won…"

Robert stopped with a gasp of pain as Serenity pinched him, hard, on his side. He flinched and shifted, which allowed her to draw up her knees and get enough leverage to push him off of her. Unfortunately, they were close to the edge of the bed, so Robert found himself landing in a painful heap on the floor next to the bed. He looked up to see Serenity peering at him over the edge of the bed. "You okay?" She didn't look to terribly worried, but he supposed it was a good sign that she asked. "Yeah, I'm fine. Are you okay? I know this isn't easy for you to talk about…" Serenity interrupted him. "You don't know anything! You don't know how I feel! You just assume that if I talk to someone about this, everything will be all better. It's never going to get better!"

Robert stood up gingerly and faced her. "So you're going to let the psychopath win?" Serenity shouted, "HE'S ALREADY WON!!!" Her words seem to reverberate around the room and Robert looked at her in mild shock. Serenity got off of the bed, grabbed her tank top to put on, and started pacing. Her words came tumbling out of her.

"Winston won alright. He beat me. He totally beat me. He outsmarted me and outfought me. He had the upper hand. He was about to cut off my head. My head!! After already shoving his demented knife into me. You know, I could see the markings on the knife hilt while it was sticking out of me? 'Faith' and 'Serenity'. Together again. How sweet!" Serenity's voice was dripping with sarcasm. Her eyes were quite dry, however. Robert wanted to take her in his arms and hold her, but he didn't. This outburst had been a long time coming and he wasn't going to interrupt.

"I saw his eyes look at my neck. He had calculated his swing and the sword was already raised. Three seconds, Robert!! Three lousy seconds!! If Mitch had been 3 seconds slower, I would be six feet under right now. I'D BE DEAD!!!" Serenity took a few deep breaths and continued pacing.

"Not that I didn't try to die, oh no! I died once on the way to the hospital and two friggin' times on the table. All I kept thinking about was the fact that he got the best of me. Mitch had to save me. Hell, House saved me, too. In fact, Carmela even saved me. All of the martial arts training, all of the time spent trying to stay one step ahead of him, all of it was for nothing. When push came to shove, I didn't have what it took to defeat him. He had all of the advantages, including a traitor in our midst…damnit!" The tears began. She tried to stop them but they burst forth like water through a busted dam.

Robert rushed over to her before she collapsed. He wrapped his arms around her and eased them both down to the floor and he held her while she sobbed. He had never heard anyone cry like this. He had the impression that Serenity never cried in her life as much as she had cried in the past eight months. He held her and murmured comforting words to her as she continued to weep.

Twenty minutes later, the waterworks began to abate. Serenity said, between sniffles and hiccups, "Why? Why…would she do that? She…she said she was…my mom away from home. She said she…loved me. She said she'd always…always be there. Why? Why would she help him kill Faith? And Jamal? Why would she help him…he killed so many? How could I not know what a monster she was? I'm the so-called genius, the one who wrote books on the subject of serial killers and I get taken in by that…woman! Why did she hate me so much?"

Robert felt like they were finally getting to the heart of the problem. Yes, Serenity was upset because Dumas nearly killed her, but the cause of her shut down after her recovery was Carmela's betrayal. Not only did it hurt her tremendously, but it made her doubt herself as well. He held her tighter and kissed her damp cheek. "I don't know why she did those things, love. But I'll tell you one thing. She did love you. Why else would she have risked her life saving you? She had to know Winston was capable of turning on her. She also risked capture when she came to see you while you were in your coma. If she meant you harm, she could easily have finished the job while you were lying there helpless. She did love you, baby. She just let herself get dragged along on a ride she didn't quite know how to end. She was caught between her love for her "adopted" daughter and her love for her biological son. Winston knew that…it's why he was always after you. He knew she loved you more."

Serenity had leaned away from him, tears forgotten. "What do you mean, she came to see me while I was in my coma? When was this? And why wasn't I told? Why wasn't a guard in the room? Why was I alone, for the love of…." Robert put his finger over her lips. "She came right after you were moved out of the ICU, about two weeks after the stabbing. The FBI director had tied Mitch's hands. They had reports of Carmela being spotted in California, so he sent Mitch and crew out there. He didn't want to expend the extra manpower leaving someone on duty, especially when she was seen so far away. Anyway, between me and all of your friends, you were never alone.

She caught me when I went down to the cafeteria to get a coffee. House was asleep in his office and I didn't want to wake him. Allison and Foreman were still recovering from their injuries, so I definitely didn't want to disturb them. I had finally managed to send Lisa and David home to take a break, so that particular night it was just me. I was only gone for about 5 minutes, but when I came back, you had a lipstick mark on your forehead, and there was a letter and a photo album on your bed." Robert held up his hand when Serenity started to talk. "Let me finish." Serenity nodded, frowning.

"Of course, they analyzed the lipstick and found traces of Carmela's DNA. The FBI confiscated the album and letter to see if it offered any clues. It's still in FBI custody, but Mitch said that they would release it. We weren't sure when you would want to see it, though, because you were bottling up everything inside. I know you're angry about that, and I was never comfortable keeping it from you. But I didn't know if it would do more harm than good anyway. I am sorry, but please know that I was concerned for your emotional and mental well-being."

Serenity took a deep breath and released it slowly. "It didn't occur to you geniuses that knowing she loved me and wasn't deliberately trying to kill me might have helped me get over this?" Robert shrugged. "The only thing you were copping to was being upset because Winston beat you. How were any of us supposed to know what was bothering you the most?" Serenity thought about it and acknowledged his point with a reluctant nod. "Can I see the letter and album now?" Robert nodded. "We can call Mitch." They sat on the floor for a few more minutes with Serenity cuddled in Robert's lap and his arms holding her tightly. She felt safe and loved and Robert felt as if a great rock had been lifted from his shoulders. Of course, she still had a way to go, but he felt better about her chances of getting there.

Robert shrugged a bit, dislodging her from her comfortable spot. When she looked up at him reproachfully, he smiled down at her. "So, back to my original question…are you gonna take the job?"


	13. Chapter 12  TAKE THIS JOB AND SHOVE IT

_Hmmm…didn't get too many reviews for the last THREE chapters I posted. Maybe I'm posting too frequently. Maybe I should wait to get more reviews before I post. I'm getting hits and I'm getting people adding me to their fav stories/author (thank you!). But very few reviews. Reviews help me be a better writer, folks!! Please…push the button. You know the one. Towards the bottom left corner? Has the word "Go" written on it? Next to the glorious words, "Submit Review". _

**CHAPTER 12 – TAKE THIS JOB AND SHOVE IT**

Serenity sat outside the conference room door where the board was meeting. Robert had coerced her into going to the hospital to talk to Lisa about the job. She already told him she didn't want it and had no idea why she was there. But Rob insisted that she needed to hear Lisa out completely.

_Earlier that morning_

"C'mon, Rob. Stuck in a stupid lab all day? I'd be bored to tears! I don't want that type of job!" Robert frowned at her. "You know there's more to pathology than that." Serenity snorted, "Barely." Robert was still confused. "Didn't Lisa give you the whole spiel about the job?" Serenity shrugged. "I dunno. After I heard "pathology lab" and "back to work", I stopped listening.

Robert rolled his eyes and stood up, pulling her with him. "Go get dressed, woman. We're going to the hospital to talk to Lisa. There's more to the job than just the path lab, but I don't know all of the details, so you need to hear it right from the horse's mouth."

Serenity smirked. "I'm going to tell Lisa that you called her a horse." Robert lightly smacked her on the bum with the towel he was holding and shooed her towards the bathroom to get ready.

_Back to the present_

So here she was, waiting to talk to the stupid board, most of whom she didn't like, about a job she didn't want. She only waited out of respect for Lisa and for Robert, who had told her that she _really_ needed to talk to Lisa. Of course, she hadn't planned on doing it by committee, but Lisa had practically dragged her to the conference room and asked her to wait a few minutes outside. _Speak of the devil…_ She could hear Lisa's heels coming towards the door to let her in, so she got up and smoothed down the skirt Robert made her wear. She smiled at Lisa when she opened the door and stage whispered, "Is it time to make my way into the lion's den?"

Lisa bit back a smile and shot Serenity a warning glance, which, of course, she ignored. She didn't care about the opinions of anyone in the room, with the possible exception of Lisa and James, who was grinning at her, so she saw no need to act like anyone but herself. Her old self anyway, the one that was cocky and arrogant. She made her way over to the table and sat down in the empty chair next to Lisa's seat.

No one said anything for a few minutes and Serenity was beginning to feel really uncomfortable. She wanted someone to say something…anything…before she blurted out what was running through her head. "_Too late", _she thought before saying out loud, "Boy, if this isn't the Illuminati meeting, I'm gonna feel _really _embarrassed." Lisa shot her the look she used to give her when she was acting like a goofball 14-year old in college. James put his hand up to cover his smirk and Dr. Griffith, the only other doctor in the room Serenity even remotely liked, coughed slightly before looking at her with a twinkle in his eyes. Everyone else looked at her with disapproval and absolutely no sense of humor.

Dr. Baumgardener, who Serenity had crossed swords with years ago when he was a professor at Michigan, looked at her with disdain and looked at Lisa, asking, "_This _is the best we could come up with out of the pool of applicants?" Lisa's eyes widened and she glanced at James, who shared a similar look of panic, then both of them looked at Serenity. She had her elbows on the table and her hands laced together, and her chin was resting on her hands. And she was staring at Dr. Baumgardener. Lisa held her breath as Serenity opened her mouth to speak.

"You know, back at Michigan, you were an overbearing, judgmental, insensitive, self-righteous bstard. I find comfort in the fact that things don't really change that much. Although now…you have _much_ less hair."

Serenity pushed her chair back and stood up, saying to Lisa, "I'm out. See ya later!" She turned to leave but had gotten no more than two steps away when Lisa called out, "Serenity Jane Martha Sue Blair, if you don't get yourself back in that chair…!" At "Jane" Serenity had whirled around. Her mouth fell open as Cuddy outed one of her most embarrassing secrets to that room full of pompous jerks. James was practically having an apoplexy in his chair and John Griffith was choking on his water. Serenity went back to the chair and sat down, murmuring to Lisa, "Do I even have to tell you how dead you are right now?" Serenity looked around. Even friggin' Baumgardener's mouth was twitching. She closed her eyes and said a silent prayer. "_Lord, I know you said that vengeance is yours, but please, PLEASE make an exception and give me an opportunity to get Lisa back for this!!"_

Lisa looked at Serenity's stormy expression and knew that she would seriously have to watch her back for a while. She gently laid a hand on Serenity's arm and said to her, "I'm sorry, but you're so daggone stubborn. I had to get you to listen to me." Lisa turned to Baumgardener. "And you, Howard. What you said was exceptionally rude. Serenity didn't apply for this job…we sought her out. And yes, she is the absolute best we could possibly have 'come up with'. I hope she's still willing to hear us out after the disgraceful way we've treated her."

Serenity mentally rolled her eyes. Trust Lisa to phrase it in a way that made her feel obligated to stay and listen, like a good little houseguest or something. But she still needed to speak her piece. "Look, Lisa. I appreciate the offer. But running the Pathology department? I would be bored in a week. No offense, but I've seen and done too much to bury myself in a lab." Serenity shook her head. "No…I can't do it. Thanks anyway." She got up to leave again.

Lisa leaned over and said in a low voice, "There are so many _other _ways that I could embarrass you, you know." Serenity closed her eyes, wishing she didn't have the ability to remember nearly every damn thing. Her mind immediately sent her snapshots of many moments that Lisa had witnessed that Serenity wished she would forget. Gritting her teeth and glaring straight ahead, Serenity sat slowly back down. Lisa smiled and patted her arm, removing her hand quickly when she saw Serenity's eyes slowly fix on the fingers touching her arm. Lisa cleared her throat and frowned. "Didn't Dr. Chase tell you the particulars?" Serenity shook her head. "He said you would fill me in because he didn't have all of the specifics and details. Although what details could there be about a pathology job that would change my mind?"

Lisa leaned back in her seat and smiled. It was a rare occasion when she could shock Serenity and she was eagerly looking forward to it. She practically drawled, "Oh, heading up the Pathology Department is only a small part of the job. I'm looking for an assistant dean. I need someone to take over supervision of several of the departments in this hospital as well as some of the other duties that I perform. I can't do everything that I need to do, and as this hospital continues to grow, it's becoming too much to handle. In short, Serenity, I want you to run this hospital with me."


End file.
